A Second Chance
by allison221
Summary: Gibbs and Tony are in relationship, but with Tony in Paris with his daughter, Gibbs is alone and miserable. When Tony finally comes back, he asks Gibbs if he wants to live with him and Tali. If anyone deserves a second chance at having a family, it's definitely Gibbs. Contains slash and lots of cute, emotional, and heartwarming moments. I'll do my best.
1. Welcome Home

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to CBS.**

 **I thought it would be really sweet and cute if Gibbs lived with Tony and Tali. He deserves to have a family and be happy like everyone else. As much as I love whump stories, I do like to see him happy. I always love it whenever he smiles on the show. When he's happy, I'm happy.**

 **This is a collection of moments Gibbs has with his new family, but this first chapter is more of an introduction. Tony comes back from Paris to stay and visits his boyfriend, Gibbs. He has an offer that will advance their relationship and change their lives. How will Gibbs react to it?**

Welcome Home

It was 2:13 in the morning and Gibbs was still awake. He had recently closed a case and decided to come home and try to get some rest. However, he couldn't sleep. He had tried to fall asleep, but he ended up dreaming about Tony and woke up with a heavy heart and tears in his eyes. It happened every time he fell asleep, so it was no surprise. Why he thought it might be different, he didn't know.

Even though he knew it was important to Tony to take his daughter to Paris, he missed him like crazy. Being in a long-distance relationship was incredibly painful, to say the least.

When he found out that Tony had a daughter with Ziva, it barely fazed him. He knew Tony only had eyes for him, so any jealousy he did have was extremely small. They had been in a relationship for a while since Ziva left.

He had always been attracted to Tony, since the day they first met. Obviously, he never said anything because of rule twelve. It was somewhat annoying seeing Tony flirt with women and hearing him talk about his dates to McGee. It wasn't until he noticed the chemistry and sexual tension between Tony and Ziva when his jealousy began to skyrocket.

Telling Tony how he felt about him and asking him out was insane for many reasons. First of all, Tony was still struggling to get over Ziva at the time. Then there was rule twelve, obviously. Plus, he wasn't even sure that Tony liked men as well as women. Most importantly, he didn't know if Tony would even want to go out with him, of all people. Did Tony even like him as a person?

All those thoughts were running through Gibbs' head the night he admitted his feelings to Tony. They had gone to get some pizza after finishing a case and were eating outside.

Gibbs had tried to make it clear that he didn't want to be just a rebound date. He asked Tony to give him a real chance unless he really was completely straight.

Tony asked him why he was finally saying something, pointing out that he was still trying to get over Ziva. Then, of course, he brought up rule twelve. Gibbs couldn't say anything. All he could do was look at Tony with sad eyes. Immediately, Tony guessed that he was jealous of him and Ziva. Gibbs simply nodded his head, downhearted.

A few moments later, he realized Tony's warm lips were touching his. They were so soft and perfect, he felt like he could melt. After the kiss was broken, Tony looked at him, reached over, and wiped away a single tear sliding down his right cheek. He wasn't even aware that he had been crying.

Then he was pleasantly surprised when Tony asked if he wanted to go out for coffee later. It was a fitting first date choice. They would end up going on many coffee dates.

Remembering all of this was making it impossible not to get emotional. In order to distract himself, Gibbs decided to turn on the TV and watch some westerns.

Of course, since he was trying not to cry, he chose not to make himself a drink. He knew alcohol would just make him even more emotional as it had before. There wasn't anything particularly wrong with being emotional, but it was extremely tiring. It felt like he was almost always emotional now.

It was even pouring over into work. He knew that his team could tell how miserable he was. They were working harder than usual and being extra nice to him, constantly making him coffee just how he liked it and even bringing him food.

Also, whenever he visited Abby in her lab, he always expected her to give him a hug before giving him an update. The hugs helped him calm down and feel a little better. They started when he went down to Abby's lab one day to check her progress on a case. Not surprisingly, he was thinking about Tony at the time. It was pretty obvious that he wasn't feeling okay, which Abby immediately picked up on. So, of course, she offered to give him a hug. He was hesitant at first, but then decided that he really did need a hug. Truthfully, he did want someone to comfort him.

Sometimes, he was even caught crying at work. So far, everyone except Vance had seen him cry. It felt rather weird crying so openly and randomly in front of his team, but it was getting harder and harder to control his emotions as time went by.

He loved Tony so much and couldn't stop missing him. Phone calls and video chatting just weren't enough anymore. All he wanted was to be in Tony's arms again. To touch, hold, and kiss him. Being apart was unbearable. If only Tony came home, he would be happy and whole again.

"Damn it!" Gibbs muttered to himself. He could feel himself getting emotional even though he was sober. Not that being sober made a difference anyway. "Come on!" he exclaimed, wiping his eyes, which were full of unshed tears. "Get it together," he told himself. "Stop thinking about him. Stop thinking about him." Folding his arms together, he continued, telling himself, "I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry. I've cried enough today. If I cry anymore, I'm gonna dehydrate myself. So no more crying tonight, okay?"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Since watching TV wasn't helping anyway, he turned it off and walked toward the front door. Upon opening it, the most beautiful sight in the world was revealed. It was Tony. Standing on his front porch and staring at him.

"Jeth," Tony finally spoke, his eyes watering and his smile so big, it was hard to believe it could fit on his face. "I'm home."

Completely forgetting what he had just told himself, Gibbs found himself crying. Again. This time, it felt like a waterfall of tears and he couldn't stop it. Tony was here. He was here. He was really here, standing in the doorway.

"Tony!" Gibbs exclaimed, throwing his arms around Tony's neck. Tony immediately embraced him.

"I missed you so much!" Gibbs exclaimed, hugging Tony tightly. He couldn't believe that Tony was really here, at his house. That he was actually touching, hugging his boyfriend after so long.

"I-I know," Tony replied, tears dripping down his face as well. "I know. I missed you too, honey. I missed you so much. I missed you every damned day." He could feel Gibbs' tears falling onto the side of his neck. Although he knew they were mostly happy tears, he still wanted to comfort his lover. So, he started to stroke Gibbs' hair, whispering, "It's okay, honey. Cry as much as you want. I've got you. I'm not going anywhere."

As soon as Tony said that, sobs started to wrack Gibbs' body.

"I didn't want you to go!" Gibbs cried as his body shook in Tony's arms. "I don't like being separated from you! I hate it! I mean, I know I told you to take care of your family, that you gotta do what you gotta do, but—" A sob escaped his throat. "You knew that I wanted you to stay, right? I wanted you to stay with me. You're my family, Tony."

Pulling back from the hug and looking into Tony's eyes, he felt another wave of emotion crash over him.

"I love you," he said as simply and clearly as he could. "I haven't stopped thinking about you since the day you left. Living without you has been one of the worst experiences of my life."

As emotional as that sounded, it was the truth. The undeniable truth. When he and Tony fell in love, he fell hard. Maybe his feelings were a little intense, but honestly, he never thought he would ever fall in love again. When he and Tony started dating, he decided that he didn't want to hold his feelings back when they were together. He wanted Tony to always know how much he loved him.

"Oh, Jeth," Tony sighed sadly as he looked into his boyfriend's tearful eyes. "I never, ever wanted to hurt you like that. You know that, don't you? I love you so much."

"I know," Gibbs said softly, sliding his hands down to Tony's chest. Bringing his face closer to Tony's, he moved in for a kiss, tasting his lover after what seemed like forever. After a few minutes passed, he finally pulled back and began to kiss Tony's whole face. First his forehead, then his nose, and then his ears and cheeks.

Without even stopping to take a breath, Gibbs kept going, gently kissing Tony's neck over and over, as much as he could.

"Well!" Tony exclaimed, chuckling. "I have to say, this is definitely the nicest welcome home I've ever had."

"It's been so long since I've kissed you," Gibbs said, looking at Tony with longing eyes. "I almost forgot how it used to feel."

He wrapped his arms around Tony one more time. "Please tell me you're staying. Please. If you leave again, I don't think I could bear it."

"I'm not leaving," Tony said as a large smile grew on his face. "I'm here to stay, for good this time."

"Really?" Gibbs asked, breaking the hug and stepping back to look at Tony's face. He hoped that he wasn't just imagining what Tony had said. "You mean it? You're really back?"

"Yep," Tony answered, nodding his head and smiling. "Actually, to be honest, I came back a couple of weeks ago."

Gibbs' eyes, still red and full of tears, grew wide, then immediately started to droop sadly. It looked like he was going to start crying all over again.

"I-I don't understand," Gibbs said, feeling confused and dejected. "If you came back a few weeks ago, then why-why didn't you come see me? Why didn't you call?"

"Shit!" Tony exclaimed, realizing what a jerk he was, even though he never meant to hurt his boyfriend. "I'm sorry! I am so, so sorry! Please let me explain. It was supposed to be a surprise. You see, I got a new apartment."

"Huh?" was Gibbs' reply. He wondered if he heard that right. "You what?"

"I got a new apartment," Tony repeated. "McGee has my old one. It wouldn't be fair if I tried to take it back. Anyway, I've been moving my stuff into my new place and hanging out with Tali, you know, helping her adjust to her new home."

Since Gibbs was quiet and seemed to be listening, Tony continued with his explanation. "I really wanted to see you tonight, but there is another reason why I'm here. I have an important question for you."

As he looked straight into Gibbs' eyes, he took a deep breath.

"Would you consider moving in with me?" he asked, relieved to have finally said it. "I love you. I love you more than anything else in this world. Well, besides Tali. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I want us to be closer. I would really like it if we could live together."

This caught Gibbs by surprise. He never expected to hear something like that.

"You don't have to give me an answer right away," Tony said nervously. "Just think about it. And if you don't want to, I'll understand. That's why I brought this with me."

He then took a key out of his pants pocket and placed it in Gibbs' right hand. "I want you to keep this as long as you want," he said in a serious voice. "I don't want to force you to do something you're not comfortable with."

After taking in everything Tony had said and looking at the key in his hand, Gibbs started to think. He had been living all by himself for quite some time now. Living together would be a huge change in his life, but he really did want to be closer to Tony. More importantly, he wanted to bond and create a relationship with Tali. After all, she was his boyfriend's daughter, so it was inevitable that he would be spending time with her.

Even though living with a little girl would definitely bring back old memories of Kelly, it was an opportunity he couldn't simply dismiss. It would be another chance to have a family, something Gibbs had spent too many years without. Although Tony used to come over to his house a lot, it wasn't quite the same as living together, which he figured would be more permanent.

"Are you serious?" Gibbs asked, finally speaking after what seemed like a while. "You really want me to live with you? Me? I don't know if you could stand living with someone like me."

"Hey, don't say that," Tony said, walking closer and stroking his lover's hair. He hated it when Gibbs put himself down like that. It was always heartbreaking to hear and it made him feel sick. "I love you," he stated, making it sound like a fact. "And I want to be with you. You're worried, I get that. But neither of us are perfect. Maybe you won't be able to stand living with me."

"No," Gibbs replied, shaking his head. "That's impossible. I love you. How could I possibly hate living with you? I mean, yes, you and I both have a few annoying quirks, but we could make it work."

"I guess we'll just have to find out," said Tony, happy that Gibbs actually seemed to be considering the offer. "So, what's your answer?"

After staring at Tony for about a minute or so, Gibbs gripped the key in his hand.

"I'm going to hold on to this," he said. "Maybe for a few days, a week, or a couple of months. I need some time, but I will give it back to you eventually. I want to. It's not every day you get a second chance at having a family."

"You're serious?" Tony asked, a little surprised. He had thought that Gibbs wouldn't want to leave his house, that there was less then half a chance of him saying yes, which is why he got a second key made for him "You want to share a key with me sometime in the near future?"

Wrapping his arms around Tony's neck, Gibbs nodded his head yes, tears glistening in his eyes and falling down his already wet cheeks. His heart felt so full at the moment, it was hard to believe that several years ago, before he and Tony got together, before Ziva left, he genuinely thought he would never be able to love someone as much as he loved Shannon. Back then, all he had was a one-sided crush on Tony, or at least, he thought it was one sided. There were a few women, but he could never keep his relationships with them.

Yet, here he was with Tony, the love of his life, his partner, and he couldn't possibly imagine life without him. He never wanted to be apart again.

As Tony wrapped his arms around him, Gibbs buried his face into his neck.

"Welcome home."


	2. Moving In?

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to CBS.**

 **Time for Tali's introduction. I'm not completely sure how old she was when she was introduced on the show, but in these stories, she's five years old.**

 **Most of these stories will be taking place in the summer, but I might throw in some other seasons later.**

 **Gibbs is finally ready to move in with Tony, but is Tali ready? Gibbs pays her a visit to find out how she feels.**

Moving In?

It was now or never. Five weeks had gone by and Gibbs was finally ready to start a new life with Tony.

Of course, before that could happen, he had to talk to Tali about it. After all, her feelings were more important than his. They were certainly more important than Tony's. Would she even like the idea of living together? What if she wasn't ready for such a big change? These thoughts raced through Gibbs' mind as he stood nervously in front of Tony's door.

Eventually, he curled his hand into a fist and started knocking rapidly.

"Tony?" he called out. No answer. He knocked one more time. Still no answer.

Since he had arrived at noon, he figured it would be a good idea for the three of them to have lunch together. They could go out to eat or just stay in and order something.

Fortunately, Vance had cleared him to leave. As long as he came back to work later, it was all right for him to have a little time off.

He wished he could have more time with Tony and Tali, but he was happy to spend any time with them when he could.

The door suddenly opened, revealing Tony, who had a huge smile on his face.

"You're here!"

"Of course I'm here," Gibbs said, smiling back. Tony was always so cute when he got excited. "You knew I was coming. Besides, where else would I be?"

"Probably working," Tony replied. "I bet you think about me every day, don't you?"

That was all it took. Unable to control himself any longer, Gibbs threw his arms around Tony's neck.

Embracing his lover, Tony sighed in pleasure, moving in for a deep kiss.

Gibbs was always a gentle kisser, but Tony liked to be a little more intense.

Although he never admitted it, Tony liked that he could actually make Gibbs weak in the knees with his passionate kisses.

After a couple of minutes went by, Gibbs finally broke off the kiss. Tony, however, was not ready to stop, so he began kissing Gibbs obsessively.

Even though it was never mentioned, Tony knew for a fact that Gibbs used lip balm to soften his lips. Pausing the kiss for a moment, he licked his lover's warm lips.

"Tony," Gibbs moaned, feeling Tony's wandering hands squeeze his butt. His face turned slightly red.

"Yes, my love?" Tony replied as he gently kissed Gibbs' neck.

"I-I really like this, but—"

"But?" Tony asked, pulling his face away to look into Gibbs' eyes. As much as he wanted to keep going, he always stopped if Gibbs asked. He never wanted to do anything that would make him nervous.

"Isn't there someone in there we need to talk to?"

"Oh, right!" Tony exclaimed, turning around and seeing his daughter in the living room.

Grabbing Gibbs' left hand, he walked inside, yelling, "Tali, come here please! I have something important I need to talk to you about!"

Usually an obedient child, Tali stood up and ran over to see what was more important than the amazing animals she was drawing for her daddy.

"Jeth!" she yelled, recognizing Gibbs. "Hi, Jeth! What are you doing here?"

"That's actually what I want to talk to you about, honey," Tony explained.

"Wait, could I talk to her?" Gibbs asked. Tony turned to look at him. "Please? I want to tell her in my words."

"Okay," said Tony, nodding his head. "If you want me to say anything, just let me know."

Gibbs nodded his head, then walked over and got down on his knees to reach Tali's level.

"You know that I love your daddy, right?"

"You're his boyfriend," Tali replied, nodding her head.

"Yes, I am," said Gibbs. "Anyway, when two people love each other very much, that usually means they want to be together as much as possible."

Understanding what he said, Tali silently nodded her head.

"And one way they can do that is to live together."

Tali was still silent, patiently listening.

"I love your daddy very much and I would really like to live with him."

It was rather direct, but Gibbs knew it was important for Tali to know how he felt. "How do you feel about that?"

The room was completely silent as Tali tried to process Gibbs' feelings with her own.

"I like you, Tali," Gibbs said, focusing on the little girl in front of him. He had already told her how he felt about her father, now it was important to tell her how he felt about her. "I like you a lot. Hanging out with you is always the best part of my day. So, if you'll let me, I would really like to live with you, help take care of you."

After hearing all of this, a wide smile grew across Tali's face.

"Yes!" she shouted excitedly. "Yes!"

Then, she threw her little arms around Gibbs' neck. Instinctively, Gibbs wrapped her into a hug.

"Really?" Gibbs asked, kind of shocked at how enthusiastic Tali was. He was incredibly happy, but it was still hard to believe. "You really want me to live with you?"

Pulling her head back and revealing the cutest smile on her face, Tali said, "That would make me very happy."

Seeing how sincere she was, Gibbs started to feel a small lump in his throat.

"Thank you," he said, unable to contain the emotion in his voice. "Thank you." Smiling warmly, he tightened the hug.

After about a minute or two, he finally released Tali from his arms.

"When are you moving in?" Tali asked, obviously hoping that he was moving in soon. "Today?"

"I wish I was," Gibbs replied. "But I can't. Not yet. Before I can move in with you guys, I need to sell my house and pack my stuff."

"Oh," Tali said sadly, holding her hands behind her back. She looked down at the floor. "Does it take a long time to pack?"

"Well, I don't have too many things to pack. Just some stuff that's important to me. And it won't take too long if I have some help."

Tali immediately perked up.

"Help? I can help," she said eagerly. "I'm really strong. I can carry everything!"

"Everything?" Gibbs repeated, trying to sound impressed. "Really? That's great! I need someone really strong to help me."

Excited and full of confidence, Tali yelled, "I can carry all your boxes!"

"Well, that's very sweet of you," said Tony, chuckling to himself. Walking over to Tali, he got down on his knees and gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "But what about daddy? Huh? If you're gonna carry all the boxes, then what am I gonna do? Huh?"

After thinking about it for a minute or so, Tali finally said, "You can get us some food!"

A split second later, laughter filled the room. However, it wasn't coming from Tony.

Gibbs couldn't remember the last time he laughed so much. It was rare for him to laugh, especially in front of his team. Besides Tony, the only person who saw him laugh so openly was Ducky. Not that many things made him laugh, but Tali was definitely one of them.

As Gibbs continued to laugh, Tony stood up and started walking toward the front door.

"No, no, come back," Gibbs called out, standing up and following Tony. He was still laughing quite a bit. Tony was holding the door knob, but he didn't open the door. "Come back. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Really, I am. Come on, let's go have some lunch now, okay? We're all hungry. Why don't you go and get us a pizz—" Breaking into a huge smile, he started laughing all over again.

Tony turned around, trying to look annoyed and angry. He tried not to smile, but that was kind of impossible. Gibbs was just too cute.

"All right, all right, I get it. All I'm good for is getting food. It's not that funny."

"Well, it was how she said it," Gibbs replied. "She wasn't trying to insult you. She really thinks getting food is an important job."

Feeling guilty about what she said, Tali ran up and grabbed Tony's left leg.

"I'm sorry, daddy," she said as she squeezed Tony's leg. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Please don't be sad. I don't like it when you're sad."

"Aww, sweetie," Tony said, picking up his daughter and giving her a kiss on the forehead. "I'm not sad. Daddy was just pretending to be upset."

"That was mean," Tali said, looking at Tony with sad puppy eyes.

"Very mean," Tony agreed, nodding his head. "I'll make it up to you. Let's go get some pizza. My treat."

As soon as he said that, Tali's face lit up.

"Yay! I love pizza! I want lots and lots of cheese!" Turning around excitedly, she yelled, "Did you hear that, Jeth? Daddy's getting us pizza!"

"Yeah, I heard him" Gibbs said, smiling at Tony. One of the things he loved most about Tony was how sweet and thoughtful he could be. He always tried to do the nice thing, even if he didn't have to.

After a minute or two, Tali started to wriggle around. Ready to get going, Tony put her down.

As soon as her feet touched the floor, she ran off to find her shoes.

Now that Tony and Gibbs were alone, they could finally talk to each other.

"So, you're really going to sell the house?" Tony asked, looking to see if there was any doubt in Gibbs' eyes.

"I don't care about the house," Gibbs answered, trying to speak in a calm voice. "I used to, but I don't like living alone anymore. I mean, I've always hated living alone, but when you left . . ."

He started to feel another lump in his throat as he remembered being separated from Tony.

"It felt even worse," Tony said, understanding. He walked closer and took Gibbs' hands. "But it's okay now. I'm here. I'm standing right in front of you. I promise, you will never, ever, be alone again, okay?"

"Okay," Gibbs said softly, lowering his head. "Thank you."

"Thank you? Why are you thanking me?" Tony asked, a hint of sadness in his voice. "You don't have to thank me. This is something that normal couples do."

"You're right," Gibbs agreed, nodding his head. He knew what was normal. Certainly, he knew that living alone for years wasn't exactly normal, even though he was used to it.

"I know I am," Tony said confidently. Then he let go of Gibbs' hands and put his in his pants pockets. "So, have you found any good buyers yet?"

"I've only met two," Gibbs replied. "But I've already decided." When he was met with stunned silence, he continued. "A young couple. They have a baby boy and two little girls."

"Is that so?" said Tony. "Two little girls? Somehow, I'm not surprised. Well, I'm glad you found a family that you like."

At that moment, Tali ran up to them. She was wearing her green and yellow sneakers and had a stuffed tiger in her arms.

"I'm ready, daddy! Let's go! Hurry, before the pizza gets cold!"

"That's not going to happen, sweetie," Tony chuckled. "The pizza will be fine."

"Maybe," said Tali. "But I'm still really hungry."

"All right, let's go eat. Maybe we'll get some ice cream later." Tony didn't usually spoil Tali too much, but today was definitely a day that deserved celebrating.

Looking over at Gibbs, he asked, "You ready? Need anything before we go?"

"No," Gibbs said, shaking his head. "I'm fine. Besides, I already have everything I need right here."

Smiling and trying to hold back tears, Tony turned toward the door and opened it. He waited for Tali before walking out, grabbing her left hand. Gibbs followed slowly, watching Tony and Tali as they walked together. He didn't know what he did to deserve them, but he was happy to be with them as much as he could.

After a couple of minutes of watching them, he started walking faster, eventually catching up with them.

"Hey, Tali," he said as he started walking next to Tali. "I have a question. If I share my ice cream, will you let me have some of yours?"

"I'll let you have some even if you don't share," Tali answered, smiling sweetly like she always did. "But if you do share, I'll be very happy." Smiling back, Gibbs took her other hand.

It would probably be about a week or so before he moved in, but right now, at this moment in time, he was ready to start his new life.

 **That took a lot longer than I expected. I'm sorry it took so long to publish. Hopefully, I'll get better as I write more and it won't take me quite as long to finish. I hope my story is okay. Happy holidays! :)**


	3. A Family Breakfast

**Disclaimer: I do not** **own any of these characters. They belong to CBS.**

A Family Breakfast

Home. He was finally home.

It had been a long, exhausting day. After bringing all his stuff to his new apartment and setting it up, Gibbs got a call from Vance.

Apparently, there was a new development in a case he had been working on earlier, so he had to go back to work right away. By the time he finally came back, it was 2:04 in the morning.

Feeling hungry, he headed toward the kitchen. However, by the time he made it to the fridge, he felt like he was going to fall asleep right there. Exhaustion had won out.

He made his way to his new room, ready to collapse in bed with Tony. Although he had slept in Tony's bed many times before, it was nice to finally call it his own.

Opening the bedroom door, he could see Tony sleeping peacefully in bed. It seemed kind of cruel to wake him at this hour.

After taking off his shoes, he walked over to the drawer, stripping off his clothes. Then, after taking out and putting on some boxers, he picked up the pile of clothes and put them in the hamper.

Crawling into bed, he heard Tony make a groaning sound.

"I'm home," Gibbs said softly. "Sorry for waking you."

"That's okay," Tony said, opening his bleary eyes. "I was waiting for you."

"Really?"

"Really. Now come over here and let's get some sleep, okay? "

As his eyes began to close, Gibbs crawled onto Tony's stomach and wrapped his arms around his neck. Smiling with content, Tony embraced his partner. It didn't take long for the two of them to fall asleep.

When Gibbs woke up again, it was 8:22 in the morning.

Considering his usual work schedule, he had slept in. But it wasn't the time he noticed when he first woke up. Tony was gone.

Quickly getting out of bed, he rushed to the closet to pick out some clothes. He slipped into his shoes on the way out, wondering if Tony had left the apartment.

As soon as he walked into the kitchen to grab something quick to eat, he found his answer. Tony and Tali were eating breakfast together.

"Morning, honey," Tony said cheerfully. "Sorry for letting you sleep in, but you looked like you really needed it."

"Oh, that's okay," Gibbs said as he walked to the pantry. "I'll be fine. You guys eat. I'll just grab a granola bar here and get some coffee on the way."

"Hold it!" Tony yelled, standing up. Before Gibbs could do or say anything, Tony had grabbed his left arm. "In case you haven't noticed, I have made bacon, scrambled eggs, and pancakes." Gibbs tried to say something in protest, but Tony continued, pulling him over to the table. "The pancakes are chocolate chip or M&M. Toppings include maple syrup or whipped cream. And for your fruit selection, we have a bowl of strawberries."

"Strawberries are my favorite!" Tali exclaimed as she put down her juice. "And look!" Turning her plate around, she proudly displayed her stack of pancakes. "I made a whipped cream smiley face by myself!"

"Oh, those look very yummy, Tali," Gibbs said, smiling. It was impossible not to smile around this little girl. "I bet you're gonna gobble them all up."

"Yeah," Tali agreed. "I always eat faster than Daddy does."

"Every day," Tony confirmed. "And I'm sure you'd like it if Jeth stayed for breakfast, right?" Turning to look at his partner, he smirked. "I know how hungry you are. You were hungry when you came home last night, weren't you?"

"Well, yes, I was, but I'll be fine. I gotta get to work now." As soon as Gibbs had said that, his stomach growled loudly. It didn't stop, though. It continued to growl for at least one more minute. Tony just stared at him, raising his eyebrows. "All right, all right, I'm starving! I didn't get much to eat yesterday. Just some coffee and a bagel. You got me."

Sitting down on a chair, Gibbs grabbed a plate and started filling it up.

"That's better," Tony said, sitting back down. "Pancakes are still warm, so you don't have to heat them up."

"What kind are you having?" Tali asked, leaning across the table.

"Well, let's see," Gibbs said, looking down at his plate as he picked up a knife and fork already laid out for him. Clearly, Tony had meant for him to eat with them all along. "It looks like I have two pancakes with chocolate chips and one with M&Ms."

"That's the same as me! But I only have one of each. You took two chocolate chips instead of one."

"Well, that's because I'm hungrier than you right now."

"Hungrier than me?" Tali gasped. "No one's hungrier than me!"

Tony chuckled. "She may be small, but she is a big eater," he admitted, nodding his head in agreement.

"Well, how many slices of pizzas can you eat?" Gibbs asked after taking several bites of his breakfast. Already, he was feeling much better. Tony really was a great cook. He could make more than just Italian food.

"I can eat three whole slices!" Tali yelled, obviously proud of herself for this accomplishment.

"I can eat five," Gibbs countered, smiling cheekily as Tali puffed up her cheeks.

"Six chicken nuggets!"

"Ten." Tali glared at him.

"I can eat four cupcakes!"

"As I recall," Tony interrupted. "that's what she did at a party I had last year. Purple frosting all over her face. They were supposed to be for the guests. That was a fun night."

"Six," Gibbs said smugly. He was having way too much fun with this game.

"Fifty-five goldfish!" Tali shouted, almost red in the face. She hoped that she had won this round.

"Fifty-five goldfish?" Gibbs repeated. "Fifty-fi—I have never eaten that many goldfish in my life!" As fun as the competition was, he could tell it was finally time to surrender and move on.

"Really?" At first, Tali was surprised, but then she broke into a smile. "All right!"

"Funny," Tony chuckled. "You're such a good sport when we play board games, but now, all of a sudden, you're ultra-competitive today."

"Daddy, board games are different," Tali sighed. "You play them for fun. We were playing for honor."

"Oh," Tony replied. "Of course, honor." He looked across the table at Gibbs, whispering, "I have no idea where she gets this stuff."

After a short lull in conversation, Tali spoke up as she watched Gibbs eat. "Hey! I don't see any strawberries on your plate! You need to have some fruit. Daddy always says we have to have fruit or vegetables when we eat."

"Well, actually, he doesn't have to if he doesn't—"

"You know what, you're right," Gibbs said, cutting Tony off. "These pancakes, they're so good, I completely forgot."

"You need to eat fruit so you can be healthy," Tali explained, sounding just like a parent. "It's good for you and it's very yummy."

"Here," said Tony, picking up a piece of strawberry from the bowl. "Open wide." Gibbs then realized that Tony was holding out a strawberry for him.

"I can get my own," he mumbled, pushing Tony's hand away. Blushing slightly, he grabbed the bowl of strawberries and began spooning them onto his plate. Tony just smiled at him.

"Daddy?"

"What's up?" Tony asked, his attention now shifted to his daughter.

"I ate all my strawberries. Can I have one of yours?"

"Sure, tiger." As he took a strawberry off his plate, Tali opened her mouth as wide as she could. "Don't bite my fingers," he joked, putting the strawberry into his daughter's mouth. Tali munched happily as she smiled at her father, swinging her legs under the table.

"It looks like a strawberry exploded on your face," said Tony, trying not to laugh. Grabbing a few napkins, he started wiping Tali's face. "Ever heard of a napkin? Your face is covered in strawberries. And syrup too. You're so sticky!"

After Tony stopped wiping her face, Tali picked up the bottle of whipped cream. "Hey, Jeth, do you want any whipped cream on your pancakes? I can make you a smiley face if you want."

"A smiley face?" Gibbs asked, looking up. "Why, yes, that would be very nice," he answered, smiling at Tali. "I would love a smiley face." He pushed his plate closer to her so she could get to work. "Oh, wow," he said when Tali gave him his plate back. "It's so big. That's a lot of whipped cream."

"Just remember to eat your strawberries."

"I will."

Once Gibbs finally finished his rather filling breakfast, he got up and put his plate in the sink. "See you later!" he called out as he headed toward the door. "Bye, Tali! Look after your daddy for me and have fun, okay?"

Opening the door, he walked out into the hallway, but before he could leave, he felt someone grabbing the back of his shirt.

"You forgot something."

As soon as he turned around, Tony's soft lips were planted on his. His body immediately relaxed as he closed his eyes, returning the kiss.

"Well, see you later," said Tony, finally pulling apart. "Maybe we'll come by and bring you some lunch."

"Sounds great," Gibbs replied, sighing contently. After Tony went back inside, he started walking down the hallway.

As he headed toward the elevator, his thoughts went back to breakfast. It had been a while since he had such a satisfying breakfast instead of just his usual coffee. Thinking about it, it suddenly occurred to him that it had been years since he last had breakfast with family. Although his memory was a little blurry, he could still remember Kelly and Shannon laughing together at the kitchen table. He still missed them and always would, but he wasn't alone anymore. He had Tony and Tali now. He would no longer have to eat alone. Thinking about that, Gibbs smiled to himself.

Maybe he would make breakfast this weekend, he thought.


End file.
